A Welcome Message from Laila Maher
Dean of Student and Alumni Affairs
Now more than ever it is crucial for artists to be supported as they pursue their craft. The life of an artist as well as that of a student involves much more than the classroom and the work itself, and this is where the Office of Student Affairs comes in. In addition to guiding new students through the process of transitioning to the School of the Arts, we plan the School-wide orientation, School of the Arts Convocation, and support student groups, events, and activities.
We also play a critical role in connecting School of the Arts students to the larger university and necessary services, and help students navigate many of the central offices including Health Services (which houses the Office of Disability Services, Insurance, Immunization, and Counseling and Psychological Services), Columbia Residential, Public Safety, University Life, the International Students and Scholars Office, and the Registrar's Office. Our office also helps to uphold many of the School and University-wide policies and we manage the School’s disciplinary procedures.
The Artists’ Resource Center, also part of our Office, maintains information on funding opportunities and career resources for students and alumni at the Columbia University School of the Arts, and provides consultations to students and alumni to help them look for professional development opportunities and more.
After graduation, the Office of Alumni Affairs provides more than 7000 alumni artists, creators, and leaders with opportunities to stay connected with the School of the Arts, the Columbia Alumni Association (CAA), and one another through alumni programming, benefits, a monthly newsletter, and collaborations with CAA Arts Access.
Our ultimate goal is to support our students and alums while they pursue their education as valued members of our dynamic community and as they navigate their time after graduation.
Student & Alumni News
The American Society of Magazine Editors (ASME) recently announced the 2022 nominations for the National Magazine Awards. Alumna Lacy Warner '16 reported and interviewed for a 2021 issue of New York Magazine that was nominated for an award. The issue, Remember the Office?, is available to read online and in print from New York Magazine.
WarnerMedia Access unveiled its new Showrunner Program, and alumnus Kevin Lau ’13 is among the members of the inaugural cohort.
Film Program alumnus James Mangold ’99 is set to direct and produce a new Buster Keaton biopic for 20th Century Studios.
Lambda Literary recently announced the 2022 finalists for the Lambda Literary Awards. Assistant Professor Hasanthika Sirisena was named a finalist in the category Bisexual Nonfiction for Dark Tourist (Mad Creek Books, 2021). Assistant Professor and alumna Gila Ashtor '20 was named a finalist in the category LGBTQ Studies for Homo Psyche (Fordham University Press, 2021).
Eulalia Books recently published the long-awaited poetry debut, Cold, by Meg Matich '15. The collection is available for purchase at Eulalia Books.
Alumna Victoria-Idongesit Udondian ‘16 is featured in her first New York City solo show, How Can I Be Nobody, at Smack-Mellon. This show will remain on view until April 10, 2022.
Alumnus Josh Tonsfeldt ‘07 was featured in a solo exhibition at Broadway Gallery.
New work by alumnae Zizi Majid ’20, Daaimah Mubashshir ’15, Katherine Wilkinson ’19, and Gethsemane Herron-Coward ’19 join the billing for the 2022 Pipeline Festival.
You might say that the show really begins with the ushers encouraging people to go to the bathroom and get water because the only intermission is around hour seven. Audiences are handed programs which indicate that the performance they’re about to see is Richard Wagner’s entire fifteen-hour, four-opera Ring Cycle.
Several Columbia University alumni have been nominated for the Writers Guild of America’s 2022 WGA Awards in the categories of television, new media, news, and radio/audio. They are: Jacey Heldrich ’13, Eric Tuchman ’87, Brysen Boyd '20, Ashley Lyle ’07 (CC ’02), Lucia Aniello (CC '04), and Sasha Stewart (CC '09).
Alumna Maggie Briggs '19 will participate in the prestigious Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) Writers’ Studio class of 2022.
Alumni Robbie Armstrong ’21 and Lynn Spector ’15 join the team behind the hotly anticipated new musical, Paradise Square, which opens this week at Broadway’s Barrymore Theatre. Armstrong, who studied Stage Management at Columbia, is working behind the scenes as a Stage Management Production Assistant, while Spector, who graduated with an MFA in Dramaturgy, oversees writing as a script supervisor.